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'Hunger Games' second movie is confirmed

August 9, 2011 | 4:03
pm

There are three books in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series, and now we know for sure that at least two will make it to the big screen.

"The Hunger Games," starring Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, is scheduled to be released in March 2012. (IMDB.com has new photos.) This week producer Lionsgate announced that its sequel, "Catching Fire," will be delivered to audiences in November 2013.

The announcement of a sequel before the first installment is a hit (or not) is something new for Hollywood, our sibling blog Company Town explains:

[I]ndustry veterans can’t recall studios ever dating the second movie in a series before the first is released. Historically, sequels aren’t scheduled until the first movie proves its box-office mettle....

“Hunger Games,” based on the bestselling young adult book trilogy, has been hyped as the next “Harry Potter” or “Twilight.” It’s thus no coincidence that Lionsgate scheduled “Catching Fire” on the same date — the weekend before Thanksgiving — that several “Potter” and “Twilight” movies had $100-million-plus openings....

“It goes against all of my Jewish superstitions,” said “Hunger Games” producer Nina Jacobson. “My great-grandmother would not approve.”

As for the third book in the series, "Mockingjay," well, great-grandmas can relax. Although the possibility of a third film being made seems strong, no date for its release has been set.